My Design World

the latest five star hotel to successfully combine classic architecture with stylish, contemporary interiors ... the result being pure luxury.

A club like feel with dark and moody interiors, edgy wing backs and back lit bookcases.

So inviting ... so unlike a hotel !!

Fabulous period detailing, high ceilings and large windows contribute to the luxurious ambiance.

Intimate spaces .. far from the madding crowd.

Guestooms are a perfect combination of glamorous Parisian style french doors with iron balustrades, and sleek, contemporary, almost masculine furnishings. The classic butterfly chair in leather and up to the minute designer lighting of course add to the elegance.

Winter is well and truly here if today is anything to go by. Temperatures have plummeted .... days are short .... and there is no place like a cosy home .... even better, with a glowing fire.

Home in winter means baskets of freshly cut wood and pine cones gathered on walks .... bowls of apples and pears .... the texture of wool, cashmere, corduroy, velvets and knits .... tartan throw rugs to curl up with or simply add warmth to the mood of the room.

When the weather is bleak enjoy time in the kitchen cooking up a storm .... indulge in the odd hot chocolate .... enjoy the scents of winter with collections of candles. A bare branch in a vase will compliment the more wintry tones .... bowls of camellias, a welcome splash of colour.

Ralph Lauren does wintry textured fabrics so well .... and they are available here. Remember a neutral palette allows for seasonal change .... much like the layering up we do with fashion !!

This caught my eye when running through some favourite blogs. So often impending parents get caught up with the boy/girl baby dilemma when decorating the nursery for the new baby.

For a start they are not babies for very long. It can be a mistake to take the short term view and decorate a baby's room with lots of baby colours and pattern....all too soon you are faced with a redecorating exercise. This gorgeous room above, to me is very clever......both now and for later. It is also rather clever if the sex of the baby is not known at the time you are decorating.

What could be smarter than a palette of soft grey and white where you can then add the appropriate splash of colour as above or pinks and reds for a feminine touch.

This scheme will stand the test of time and for an older child simply add navy, red, orange or even charcoal and silver.

I do love the horizontal stripe and these can be in any width. It can be achieved by a painter, you painting or finding the stripe wallpaper you love.

Why is my eye always drawn to these colours together. I think it is just so smart to have the subtle black, navy combination with a luscious tan contrast bringing it all to life.

Tan has been big in Europe this winter but I love it anywhere, anytime. I was thrilled when I did my dark inky blue woollen armchairs in our sitting room to then find divine tan suede Mulberry cushions to contrast. These, apart from the timber furniture, were the only colour in the room as the walls are the same inky navy blue.

I also love the colour that the natural IL Bisonte leather bags and diaries go after using them lovingly.....tan !!

One of my favourite projects recently was a Polo Clubhouse/Bar Lounge where I did large tan leather armchairs and sofas with brass studded trim ..... and chocolate and cream tartan woollen cushions. It looked fabulous.....the building itself was spectacular....lots of dark timber rustic panelling, natural stone fireplaces and very large terracotta flagging.

I still miss the greatest source of woollen fabric ever ....... yes mainly shades of tan, coffee and caramel......Fabric Fantasy in Commonwealth Street, Sydney. Sadly now closed. It stocked bolts of Italian suiting fabric bought out from the mills at vastly reduced prices. I couldn't stop buying it to cover furniture, make bedheads and valances and even tablecloths. The colours were a dream !!

I keep reading about Copenhagen and thinking what a truly stylish city it is. Danish design has always been at the forefront ....fashion, furniture, architecture and interiors not to mention the arts.

Hotel 27 is in the centre of the city.....a heartbeat from where it is all at.....both culture and shopping !!

As you know, I have more than a passing interest in hotel guestrooms having spent a large portion of my life as an interior designer working on their design or redesign. Hotel 27 has the hotel guestroom sorted. The timber floors underpin the use of colour in the furniture itself... so different to the standard hotel guestroom. So simple, elegant and so well designed. The colours are gorgeous.....slick, young and fresh. The attention to detail is brilliant.

Hotel 27 has the warmth and comfort factor so often missing in a lot of inner city hotels. Designers put together a lot of hard finishes and think that opulent furnishings will be the icing on the cake.....so often the spaces may have the initial wow factor but are simply not inviting.

The Danes do timber well. The use of either timber flooring, panelling or furniture (or all three) creates warmth and gives a space a certain character.

And now for some really vibrant Danish design.....iconic furniture combined with gorgeous fabrics for the Bar....only in Copenhagen !!

I was thrilled to see that Designers Guild now have a fabulous online store for throw blankets, cushions, candles and floor rugs.....the quality of their fabrics is beautiful which I think you can see even from the photos. Such a bonus to have the actual Designers Guild ready made cushions as I have spent years buying small metrage to have made into cushions for projects I have been working on.

These cushions, rugs and throws all co-ordinate with the various ranges of fabrics and you will find that Designers Guild will do a whole collection in a particular colour palette which makes it easy to put together a scheme for a room.

I did blog about their fantastic tote bags made out of smart Designers Guild fabrics a while back.

My favourite ever Designers Guild fabrics are their Royal Collection based on archives of fabrics in Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace.....in fact now that I am thinking about it..... I might just follow up with that story and show some of those magnificent fabrics next.

I fell in love with this range of fabrics from UK designer Mark Alexander......very Hamptons......and the colour palette he works in is just beautiful. Mainly neutrals but introducing colour in a very subtle way.

The range includes printed linens.....such quality.... textured linens, relaxed linens, artisan dyed, brushed and embroidered both traditional and modern !!!!

These neutral string tones above work so well with white, cream and other sandy tones....sisal matting....all punctuated with the warmth of dark timber.

Below, is the introduction of Indigo. I have used this inky colour.....with black timber floor boards, white walls and mid tone sisal matting. It has the same effect as introducing blue and white china.....classic and timeless.

Not only is this a magnificent photograph but I know you will enjoy reading about this amazing Designer and looking at her other work. I can pick her work in a minute. It is pared back, somewhat Scandanavian and always edgy...opulent, there really are not enough words to describe!!